The social influence scale for midwifery: factor structure and clinical research applications

The role of perceived authority on the clinical behaviour and decision-making of midwives has received little research attention, largely due to the unavailability of a midwifery-specific measure of conformity. The current study investigated the factor structure of the social influence scale for midwifery (SIS-M), a recently developed measure of conformity designed specifically for use within midwifery practice. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that a four-factor model of conformity, comprising distinct dimensions of conformity, client control, personal control and non-conformity offered an excellent fit to the data. It is concluded that, though the SIS-M was developed as a unitary measure of conformity, there is also compelling evidence that the SIS-M could be developed as a multi-dimensional measure of distinct, but related, conformity dimensions. The SIS-M therefore offers considerable potential as a research tool to gain novel insights into the conformity behaviour of midwives in the practice environment and the relationship of such behaviour to maternal and neonatal outcomes.